MORE than a hundred Bua villagers packed Nabouwalu ground yesterday as the Bua Asco Motors Showcase kicked off with entertainment.
Villagers travelled from as far as Wainunu and Kubulau รน leaving their homes as early as 6am to be part of the event.
Bua chief Adi Ana Lalanabaravi praised her people for making time to be at the show despite personal commitments.
She said the showcase also provided the vanua of Cakaunitabua the opportunity of maintaining their dialect and cultural values.
Adi Ana said an oratory competition for schools in which students spoke only in the Bua dialect showed how parents communicated with their children.
She urged parents to continue to speak the dialect to their children.
Adi Ana also requested the elders to continue with such events that would keep the Bua dialect and culture alive.
The villagers made use of the showcase to buy generators, farming equipment and home items.
Asco Motors marketing manager Elenoa Korovulavula-Mule said the past five years of the showcase had been a success.
"We are blessed to have the support of the chiefs and the vanua of Bua and this is shown by the increasing interest we receive every year.
"The showcase gets bigger every year with a lot of villagers coming in to buy items they need instead of travelling to Labasa."